


Give Way

by blcwriter



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 17:15:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4230162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blcwriter/pseuds/blcwriter





	Give Way

More prompt fills for [](http://1297.livejournal.com/profile)[**1297**](http://1297.livejournal.com/)  's prompt-fest this weekend. The prompt and [thread](http://1297.livejournal.com/41067.html?thread=2601579#t2601579), McCoy/Kirk, _Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing._ ~ Oscar Wilde.  PG-13 for language.

\--

When Leo was little, he and his cousins used to shoot each other with the rubber bands all bound up on a ball they'd found in the attic. Pull it taut on the finger, take aim, and _zing!_

Hurt like hell, but the expression of surprise on your brat-bastard cousin's face was always damned worth it.

'Cept when it wasn't, because some of those rubber bands were more old than they looked and they broke under the pressure of pulling back-- taking aim-- and they snapped back into your face.

He'd never thought he'd forget the one that got him in the eye-- it'd had an old piece of plastic stuck to it and all of a sudden _plick_ and the _pain_ , all because Roger was making fun of his eyebrows again.

His dad had said he'd been lucky he hadn't put out "his own goddamned eye."

Fixing him with his sternest glare, he'd said "Someone bothers you, boy, you either settle the matter with calm words after you've thought it over a bit, or say nothin' at all. No use in doin' something that gets you hurt when you're tryin' to hurt someone else.”

Wise advice, then. Too bad he’d forgotten.

\--

He knew it—just _knew_ he’d gone too far with Jim when he said “Someone didn’t hold you enough as a baby, did they now, Jim? You’re too fucking clingy. You never know when to leave me alone, it’s always pick, pick, pick, pick, I swear, sometimes I can’t fucking breathe around you.”

He’d just wanted some _space_ , had a long day of stupid people coming in with dumb-ass complaints because they were bored and had nothing better to do with the ship flying through four weeks of nothing and they’ve all got cabin fever, coming up with stupid diseases just so they could get some goddamned attention.

Jim had been on him practically as soon as he’d come in the door, all that “How was your day, you look tired, want me to make you a drink?” kind of shit and _Jesus,_ Leonard just wanted a hot shower and a book and to not fucking talk to anyone for a while.

Jim stilled for a moment before he tipped his head and _assessed_ Leo, the same way he looked at anyone he was getting ready to kill.

“Pardon me for giving a shit. I won’t make that mistake again, Bones. I’m starting to think maybe Jocelyn wasn’t that crazy, you know?”

 _Zing_.

Jim smiled ever so-politely and walked out the door.

It hurt even more now than that time with the elastic when he was ten—that was the problem with forgetting old lessons.

\--

He took a shower—didn’t pretend like it was all shower water and not salt he didn’t taste mixed in with the soap—and then hunted Jim down.

He was playing ping-pong with one of the new transfers in one of the rec rooms, of course—being the good fucking captain, spending time with his crew with a bright smile on his face.

“Could I talk to you? Please?” It wasn’t a word Leo said aloud very often.

“When I’m done with my game,” Jim replied. Even-voiced, pleasant expression on his face, completely controlled body language.

Leo sat and put his sweaty palms face-down on his pants.

The girl with whom Jim was playing looked nervous—so Leo did something he also didn’t do well and tried to smile at her. Poor thing missed her shot, and Jim gave him a glare.

“We’ll do that one over,” he said, magnanimously.

Leo would have called that one a do-over too. His own staff kind of freaked out when Leo was smiling.

When Jim at last finished his game, the poor girl scampered off and left them alone.

Jim kept his mouth shut, just like Leo should have done earlier on.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Jim tipped his head.

Assessed.

_Fuck._

“Sorry you said it at all? Or sorry you said it that way?”

He got up and stood—walked over to where Jim leant oh-so-casually on the ping-pong-cum-pool table—wrapped his arms around his friend—his lover—his captain—and all the other things he didn’t say aloud because he wasn’t much of a talker, a lesson he maybe needed to learn to get over because that wasn’t one that his Daddy had taught him.

“Sorry I said it at all. Didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. Ignore me, I’m too fuckin’ cranky with all the hypochondriacs on this damned ship, I wouldn’t know a good thing until he walked out on me or punched me right in the nose.”

Slowly, Jim relaxed just a bit. Behind him, Leo could hear the door open, then quickly close. Jim at last hugged him back—rested his chin on Leo’s shoulder—huffed out a small breath that made Leo’s eyes prickle and sting in relief instead of pain this time.

“I could punch you, too, you know.”

“If you want.”

Jim chuckled, the rumble of it close against Leo’s heart. When he stopped laughing, he said, soft— quiet—like it was a secret—“I just want you, Bones.”

It shouldn’t have to be one.

Leo pulled back and kissed him and who fucking cared if anybody walked in on them then. “Me too, kid.” After a minute, he felt something inside him give way. “Can I get a do over?”

Jim pulled back just enough to look at him. Tipped his head. Assessed.

“How was your day, you look tired, want me to make you a drink?”

“It sucked. I am. I would love something to drink. You look tired too. Wanna go to the lounge and see who we can drink under the table?”

Jim nodded.

They headed out of the rec room—turned down the hall toward what passed for the _Enterprise_ bar.

He reached for Jim’s hand, then, and took it. There was no snap back.


End file.
